Grocery Shops

Chicago’s Terragusto. Photo courtesy of Terragusto Two.

More chefs are playing the market. Boston’s Las Ventas, next to the Spanish restaurant of the same name, offers serrano ham, marcona almonds and shelves of olive oil. In Chicago, Terragusto will sell some of the fresh pastas served at its namesake alongside prepared foods. Cesare Casella’s market-café Salumeria Rosi in Manhattan will feature exquisite products sourced from Italy, such as prosciutto.

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Sandwich Shops

As chefs examine their costs, more are turning to a basic dish: the sandwich. In Chicago, Rick Bayless will open a torteria with Mexican-style grilled sandwiches like chorizo and black bean. 449 N. Clark St. Tommy Habetz recently opened Bunk in Portland, Oregon, serving oxtail-confit sandwiches with pepper relish next to classics like meatball Parmigiano. Nearby, the small menu at John Stewart’s Meat Cheese Bread includes his BLB: bacon, lettuce and roasted beets.

The breakfast-and-lunch café launched Thursday night themed menus such as Colorado cooking with dishes like lamb ragù. Fuel will soon serve dinner a few days a week.

Entertaining Restaurants

Restaurants have become high-tech entertainment centers. Boston’s Persephone offers Guitar Hero stations. UWink, in L.A. and Mountain View, California, is the brainchild of Atari founder Nolan Bushnell; customers order from touch screens that double as game consoles.